Bob Gathany / The Huntsville TimesReplicas of the Christopher Columbus' famed ships, Nina and Pinta, are docked at Ditto Landing Marina this week.

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Ditto Landing Marina is often called one of Huntsville's hidden jewels.

City Council candidates John Olshefski and Barry Pendergraft say it's time for the 593-acre riverfront park to become a more visible attraction.

The Huntsville-Madison County Marina & Port Authority, which operates Ditto Landing, invited Olshefski and Pendergraft to talk politics Tuesday night in an open-air forum on the banks of the Tennessee River.

Olshefski, a former Redstone Arsenal garrison commander, and Pendergraft, a retired Huntsville police lieutenant, meet in Tuesday's city runoff election to decide who replaces Sandra Moon as south Huntsville's council member.

Moon is giving up the District 3 seat after three terms to spend more time with her family.

With Ditto board chairman Wally Kirkpatrick moderating, the forum revolved around the candidates' ideas for improving the public park and marina.

Olshefski said Ditto needs a restaurant or hotel to draw more visitors to an often-overlooked part of the city.

He promised to put the same energy into Ditto Landing that he brought to the Redstone Gateway office park negotiations. Olshefski helped convince the Army to let private developers build the office park for arsenal workers and defense contractors on federal land near Interstate 565 and Rideout Road.

In response to a question about pushing for federal grants to fix flooding problems at Ditto, he said, "I would love to have that fight."

Pendergraft said Ditto's history of flooding is a challenge because no one wants to invest millions in a riverfront hotel that could end up under water.

Engineers and architects will have to devise ways to raise both building sites and roads within the park above flood stage, he said.

Pendergraft also said "somebody needs to prod" Tennessee Valley Authority and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials to find a permanent solution to Ditto's flooding problems.

While Huntsville has used tax increment finance districts to stimulate investment in blighted areas, both candidates said Ditto probably does not qualify as blighted.

They disagreed about whether the park needs a security gate.

Olshefski said he wouldn't have a problem with a gate, as long as the Ditto board pays for it and it is used only to keep troublemakers out after closing time.

Pendergraft, who spent 25 years on the police force, said security gates can be a hassle for law enforcement. Every cop, firefighter and paramedic in town would need to carry a card allowing them to open the gate in an emergency, he said.

The serene forum - the 40 or so audience members were treated to a gorgeous sunset over the river - turned tense when Kirkpatrick allowed questions from the audience.

A woman in the crowd asked Olshefski why the Committee of 100 group of business leaders is so interested in the District 3 council race.

Olshefski is a member of the Committee of 100, and its political arm has donated money to his campaign.

Olshefski said the group can be helpful in redeveloping empty storefronts along South Memorial Parkway. Many were vacant long before the recession hit in late 2008.

"They're about the betterment of Huntsville," Olshefski said of the Committee of 100.

Pendergraft said some south Huntsville residents believe committee members want to push public housing out of downtown "so they can grab that land and make money off it."